Britain is still lagging well behind its G7 counterparts in productivity with the average British worker producing around a third less than their German equivalent, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. It highlights a desperate need to develop more skills training, which the government is tackling through its ambitious apprenticeship programme, including the launch two years ago of degree apprenticeships.
Businesses and organisations are slowly starting to see the many advantages of providing both school leavers and existing staff with a chance to study for a degree on the job. But to be convinced, they first need examples of successful outcomes and passionate campaigners who understand the value of this new type of apprentice.
Linda Hausmanis, chief executive of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), the UK’s professional body for facilities managers, aims to be one of those examples. This year, the BIFM has taken on its first two degree apprentices, who are working towards an OU chartered management degree.
Hausmanis is a firm believer in investing in staff. “Just because someone is highly qualified does not make them right for a role, but with training at least you are giving them the tools to enable them to do the best job possible rather than saying: ‘You are now a manager – good luck!’”
Hausmanis has recruited her apprentices from existing staff and sees them as future leaders; both joined the institute three years ago, one a former level 2 and 3 apprentice in business administration, the other a sales team recruit.
For a small organisation of 40 staff, this is still a big step, so why do it? “I’ve always had huge respect for the OU,” says Hausmanis. “I’ve studied with them myself. I think they are absolutely world-class, so I knew the quality of their apprenticeship programme would be good.”
Supporting a degree apprenticeship is also cost-effective. As the BIFM doesn’t have to pay an apprentice levy, it pays just 10% of the £22,000 total cost of the degree. Meanwhile, both apprentices get the same salaries they enjoyed before starting the scheme – and pay no tuition fees.
“From a business point of view, it is critical that you enable them to have access to projects to work on and use the skills they are learning,” says Hausmanis. They manage their own diaries, get 20% time off per week for study days and benefit from workshops, online tutorials, tutors and assessors.
Progress so far? One apprentice is already leading meetings and has helped the institute create a national facilities management degree apprenticeship programme working with employers, academics and government. “She lost her line manager, picked up the project and ran with it,” says Hausmanis.
A larger OU client is the office equipment specialist, Brother. It has been running similar degree programmes since 2012 that have now come under the degree apprenticeship banner. It has three people on OU chartered management degree apprenticeships, also from existing staff.
Managing director Phil Jones says a buoyant market made it expensive to recruit, and so after a long break the company recommenced apprenticeships. “We floated the idea internally and were very surprised by the take-up.
“What frustrates me is that talent often gets assigned to young people and yet we have lot of talent in our organisation from the older generation.”
Jones says career development is now a key issue for someone considering a job change. “If a recruitment consultant tries to take one of my staff, the first question people will ask is: ‘How are you going to invest in my learning and development, in my future?’ People want to come into a work culture where they feel invested in, trusted and valued.”
How do apprentices make a difference? “One of our very mature teenage apprentices, with a talent for community engagement, is now taking on part of my role by visiting schools and talking to kids about careers, what she wants to do and how she chose an apprenticeship,” says Jones. “All of sudden, we began seeing engaged young people.”
Another trailblazer is the international business consultancy specialist, Capgemini, which is using some of its young apprentices as reverse mentors for older workers in areas like social media and new technology. “Our only assets are our people,” says Ruth South, head of graduate and apprenticeship programmes.
The company offers two degree apprenticeships - digital technology solutions and chartered management – with Aston University providing the academic input. Capgemini focuses on applicants’ strengths when hiring them and then develops apprenticeship routes in line with those qualities (eg agile thinking, a collaborative approach or entrepreneurial outlook).
“Because the apprentices are working within experienced teams, they build soft skills as they go,” says South. The company’s induction process focuses on soft skills, such as how your brand comes across, the basics of business, and how to hold a conversation and run a meeting.
“For us, these apprenticeships are a no-brainer,” says South. “In future, we’ll be developing new apprenticeships probably at master’s level (level 7) and see if we can use them to upskill our graduates.”
Nuclear decommissioning company Sellafield Ltd is one of the UK’s largest apprenticeship employers. Its first apprenticeship degree cohort graduates in December this year.
Head of technical capability Donna Connor says: “We have a cohort of apprentices together for five years with hugely diverse roles, but they are learning together, using the same language, sharing a common understanding of engineering principles, and this will benefit them as they go through the organisation. The community they build is invaluable from a business perspective.”
And the impact on the workforce? “Apprentices challenge the workforce as they are young people who don’t have the same way of thinking as my colleagues,” says Connor. “They have an energy about them as they are constantly learning. That dynamic has changed things; we are putting apprentices in areas where we have never placed them before.”
Brother’s Phil Jones perhaps sums up the value of apprenticeships best: “If you give young people quality work so they can do a quality job and feel like they are contributing, then that works and apprenticeships can become brilliant.”
To find out more about OU degree apprenticeships, visit open.ac.uk/business/apprenticeships
